CMP faces record amount of unpaid bills

Maine’s largest electric utility faces a record amount of unpaid electric bills in another signal of the worsening economy.

Customers owed Central Maine Power a record $34 million through March, and regulators worry that the figure will grow in the coming winter.

Unpaid bills aren’ t a new problem. But in recent years, regulators have noticed that the number of customers disconnected for nonpayment has been rising slowly. At the same time, the amount of money owed especially by CMP customers has shot up.

This trend has implications for all customers: Some of the debt utilities can’ t recover could eventually be absorbed by ratepayers.